PROGRAMME

Water quality and treatment are becoming of increasing concern. It is important to develop renewable bio-coagulants to treat turbid water. This study suggests plant-based coagulants as substitute for chemical coagulants. The plants used were Moringa oleifera (MO), Carica papaya (CP) seeds, and aloe vera (AV) rind which are readily available in most communities. These contain water-soluble substances that have coagulation activity in water. The coagulation efficiency of these plants, at different dose were studied and compared with aluminum sulfate (AS), the most used chemical coagulant. All coagulants were most effective at 0.40 g/L dose. Among the coagulants used, MO outstands in interface height variation, settling rate and TSS removal of 71.79%. With 98.00%, it also has the highest color removal together with alum. The latter also has the highest turbidity removal with 96.40% and contributed to greater rise in DO levels. However, using alum turned the water acidic. The pH exhibited variations through coagulation, Moringa oleifera yielded to smallest pH variation.